Beratha wins Bali election to retain post

Beratha wins Bali election to retain post

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Incumbent Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha won a second five-year
term in the gubernatorial election here on Wednesday, thanks to
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's support.

He garnered 31 of the 55 votes, defeating Golkar's wealthy
businessman Putu Gde Ary Sutha, who unexpectedly pocketed only
four votes.

Former Gianyar regent Tjokorda Budi Suryaman, who was
nominated by the coalition faction of Kebangsaan Indonesia,
grabbed 20 votes.

"I thank God for this victory," said soft-spoken Beratha, who
was backed by Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan).

His landslide victory proved that Megawati's influence on PDI
Perjuangan councillors in Bali, one of the party's strongholds,
remained effective, despite growing discontent against her
leadership.

Prior to the election, Megawati had issued an order for the
councillors to vote for Beratha or risk dismissal from the party.

However, at least eight of the 39 PDI Perjuangan councillors
defied Megawati's order and instead cast votes for Beratha's
rivals as the incumbent governor only won 31 votes.

Bali PDI Perjuangan spokesman Wayan Sutena put the number of
the party's defectors at around 10.

He, PDI Perjuangan faction chairman Usdek Maharipa and leader
of the party's provincial chapter I.B. Wesnawa declined to
identify the defectors, nor did they disclose disciplinary
sanctions against them.

"We are still in a celebratory mood and the political tension
is still there. Let things cool down first before we talk about
the matter," Wesnawa said.

The Megawati-led PDI Perjuangan central board has drawn fire
from her supporters in regions and analysts for taking unpopular
moves to fire party executives who refused to vote for her
gubernatorial candidates, including those in Jakarta, Central
Java and Lampung.

Surprisingly, Suryaman managed to get 20 votes in the election
by the Bali legislative council, despite the fact that the
faction in support of him comprised only five members.

His additional votes were supposed to be from some PDI
Perjuangan defectors and six councillors with the military-police
faction, as well as one Golkar member who shunned giving support
to Ari Suta.

Local political analysts and media pundits had predicted that
a lot of PDI Perjuangan councillors would support Ary Sutha in
defiance of Megawati's order.

The instruction had forced leading PDI Perjuangan cadre Cok
Ratmadi to withdraw his gubernatorial bid, despite the fact his
move had been backed by party faithful.

Since Ratmadi's withdrawal, the threat of massive defection by
PDI Perjuangan councillors had plagued Beratha's camp. However,
the threat did not materialize on election day.

The victory owed a lot to various last minute efforts that
Beratha's camp had launched to mend a simmering rift between his
supporters and Ratmadi's.

For instance, in a hastily arranged meeting, Beratha met the
PDI Perjuangan councillors and gave his commitment to help the
party win the 2004 general elections. He also made a homage visit
to Ratmadi.

Moreover, two days before the election, the party quarantined
all of its 39 councillors at the isolated Bali Cliff resort,
forbidding them from making any phone contact with those outside
the hotel and asking them to make written affidavits on their
commitment to support Beratha.